Possibility: Memory
by Mystic83
Summary: What if Boomer had done what she thought was best for her baby and Helo? What if that wasn’t shooting Meier to prove a point? KaraLee, KaraZak, BoomerTyrol, BoomerHelo


**This will be a series of stand-alone stories which deal with the choices that the characters on Battlestar Galactica have made throughout the first half of the second season (I'll be posting in as much of the order of the season as I can). I want to explore what would have happened/changed if things had gone differently. Some of the stories will be angst, some will be shippy, some will be funny. There will be different pairings throughout. Don't feel like you have to check out each one to understand the others. All I ask is that if it intrigues you, then give it a try. Hope you enjoy reading the stories as much as I enjoyed writing them!**

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**_There are pivotal moments in one's life where if you take the wrong path everything may change. Those changes may be for the good or for the bad. The possibilities are endless.

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It happened so fast there wasn't even time to prepare.

Lee could still hear Sharon's words ringing in his ears. "I know who I am. I don't have hidden protocols or programs lying in wait to be activated. I make my own choices. I make my own decisions. And I need you to know this is my choice." And then she shot his father.

As William Adama slumped to the ground, Lee realized there was less blood this time. He couldn't figure out how that was possible.

Lee stood staring at his father for what felt like years when in actuality it was probably only half of a second. The sound of Kara screaming his name in desperation pulled him out of the haze, and he twisted to catch her falling body in his arms. It wouldn't be until hours later that he would remember hearing the gunshot.

After that, he released his desire to remember and just let himself feel.

* * *

It was Chief Galen Tyrol's duty to remember. He was a few feet back from the action which gave him a clear view of the events. Somewhere in the back of his head, he knew that when this whole fiasco was over, the XO would want to know exactly what happened and why. 

Tyrol bit his lip and tried to forget that the decision as to what the next move should be rested squarely on his shoulders. He was going to have to make this choice, and he was going to have to figure out why he was did it.

There weren't many options. Adama was shot. Kara went out a few seconds after, taking Lee with her. Helo would be no help. The President wasn't strong enough. It was up to him.

Taking a deep breath, Tyrol pointed his gun at where Helo sat on the ground, his arms draped around Sharon. Her body was trembling, but he tried to ignore it and focus on the overly protective man. "Move," Tyrol growled as he clicked the safety off his weapon.

Helo tilted his head to look at the deck chief. "What do you think you're doing?"

"She shot the Old Man. I can't let her get away with that again." Tyrol tightened his grip on the gun. This wasn't going to be easy, but it was the only thing he could think to do.

"She told everyone she had nothing to do with the attack that day on Galactica," Helo hissed.

"She still shot the Old Man today."

"Have you even checked on him?"

"I don't have to," Tyrol growled. "I've seen the damage she can do. Besides, it doesn't matter. They're all the same."

"Sharon wouldn't do this. She's different than the Sharon you loved, Galen. I would know." Helo rolled his eyes even as he was pushing Sharon behind the safe cover of his body. Things were too tense to start relying on other people's common sense to do the right thing. "Don't try to take your pain out on her."

"This has nothing to do with what that Cylon did to me. This is about what she just did to everyone." Tyrol could feel his anger taking hold. "You cannot stay blind to what she is."

The pressure of the situation was weighing down on him too hard. His mind kept repeating that there was no one else who could make this decision. Tyrol knew the trauma of the situation hadn't soaked in yet, but there were things he was missing. He hadn't even checked how much damage Boomer's shot had done to the Commander this time.

"Please." Sharon's voice cut into Tyrol's thoughts and the silent stare down he was having with Helo.

It wasn't the fact that Sharon had had the nerve to speak up that surprised Tyrol. It was the fact that her voice sounded almost as if it was pleading but not in the way he would have expected. Sharon was pleading for Helo to let her go.

"This needs to be done, Karl. He doesn't want to see me through any eyes but that of his enemy." Boomer pulled herself from Helo's arms and stood up to look at Tyrol. "Do what you have to do, Galen, but know that in the end, I was not your enemy."

His mind reeled at her words. Sharon had just shot the military leader of the last remnants of humanity. It seemed like she had set things up to kill others as well. She was a machine. How could she be anything but the enemy?

He tried to take stock of the situation. Sharon was standing in front of him, no longer armed but definitely dangerous. Tyrol knew she wasn't going to say another word. This was his decision to make. She wasn't going to talk him out of him. She wasn't going to plead for her life or the life of her child. The Cylon simply held her arms out and sighed. "Choose."

Duty and the knowledge that she was not the woman he loved helped him pull the trigger.

It wasn't until later that he would understand the full weight of his decision. William Adama had been shot squarely in the arm. It had caused enough pain to keep him down on the ground, struggling to regain his wits. Whether Sharon had made that shot non-fatal on purpose or not was a question that would never be answered.

All Galen Tyrol knew was that she hadn't killed the Old Man, and for _that_, he had killed her.

* * *

Kara blinked up at Lee and was surprised to realize that this was going to be her last memory. _This _was it for her. 

"Hold on," Lee pleaded as his eyes held hers. She could feel his arms tightening around her. "You just have to hold on."

Kara tried to smile at him. She wanted him to know that it was going to be all right. All that came out was a small cough. It made Lee's face tense up in panic.

"Your father?" she choked out after a moment. It took a lot of energy, but she turned her head a few inches to look at where William Adama lay.

"He'll be fine, Kara," Lee said. "Sharon didn't want him dead."

"Good." Kara started to cough again, and her mouth filled with an acidic taste. She looked up to see Lee's eyes go wide. His hand reached out to cup her chin as his finger pushed away the small drop of red at the corner of her mouth.

"What did you do, Kara?" Lee whispered. "What the frak did you do?"

Kara reached out to brush her fingers across the wet trails on his cheek. "I saved you, Lee."

He let out a small chuckle at the proud smile that fell across her face. If Kara could still be proud, then the wound must not be as bad as he thought. "Why would you do something stupid like that?" he asked.

"You would have done the same for me," she whispered. It was getting hard to breathe. The pressure was too much. "That's why I love you so much, Lee."

His heart dropped out. Something wasn't right. "Those don't sound like the words of the spitfire who can't keep her ass out of hack."

"I don't have to pretend to be strong anymore," she explained.

His hold tightened around her even more if that was possible. "Kara, you're not going to give up on me."

"It's okay." Kara pulled Lee's face down towards her, and their lips brushed together like a whisper. "I'm not going to fight it anymore."

"Now is not the time to stop acting like a stupid frak-up," Lee hissed.

Kara let out a cough and when she saw Lee look around frantically for someone to help, she grabbed his arm and squeezed. He turned back to look at her immediately. "It's going to be all right."

"You keep saying that, but I'm really not seeing how."

"I finally get to be with him, Lee. I get to see Zak." Her eyes dropped for a moment before Lee shook her awake. Kara would have smacked him if only she had the strength. Didn't he see that the gods were letting her rest for once? "Lee…"

"You're being stupid," he growled.

"I'll let him know that you took good care of me."

The determination in her voice was what really scared him. "Kara, don't give up," Lee pleaded.

"I'm not." A lazy smile slid across her face. "Don't you see? I finally know what I want."

"Come on, Kara. I need you here with me."

Kara reached her hand out to lace her fingers in his. "We both know that's not true. You'll be fine without me."

"You're scared I won't be," he whispered, earning himself another smile from her.

"You were always the only one who ever understood me. Of course I'm scared, Lee. I don't know if you and your father even known how to breathe if I'm not there to tell you how. What I do know is that you two can figure it out together. Now let me die in peace, you stupid frakker."

"Kara…" he started. A fit of coughs from the woman in his arms kept him from continuing.

It took her a moment to collect herself, and when she finally started speaking again, her voice was weak. "Please, Lee. We both know that there's no way you can get me back to the Fleet in time. I… _am_ dying. I don't want to do it while I'm fighting with you."

The last thing she would remember hearing was Lee's voice as he finally admitted he loved her. Then there was only a loud gunshot in the distance and the world turned white.


End file.
